​With the cost of electricity mounting, it pays to consider ways to cut that electric bill at your house. Of course you can go green installing solar panels or taking advantage of wind power. But these things—while eventually saving you on your electric bill—have a staggering initial outlay. You can also turn the thermostat so the air conditioning doesn’t click on until the temperatures hit 85 in the summer. This will cut electric bills but may affect the quality of your life.

There are other ways to cut your home electric bill that aren’t so extreme.

One simple way is to clean or replace those filters in your HVAC system at least twice a year. Air filters are cheap compared to electrical bills.

Another easy and cheap way to conserve electricity is to keep your vents clean. Also check to make sure the vents are open. This will keep your furnace and air conditioner from struggling to keep your house at a constant temperature. It is a myth that closing vents can reduce energy costs. This will actually raise your electric bill.

Use fans to improve the air flow in your house. These may be overhead fans or portable fans. Here’s how they work: When the air circulates optimally, it makes it easier for your HVAC system to heat or cool. Hence it does not have to struggle and consequently your electric bills are lower. If you have ceiling fans, when it is hot outside, have them turn counter clockwise. This pushes hot air up and out. In colder weather have them spin clockwise. This traps hot air inside. Check to see where the switch is on your ceiling fans so you can choose rotation direction.When you are doing laundry use cold or warm water instead of hot. Heating water in your washer accounts for 90% of the electrical cost of doing a wash.

Do not over or under pack the washer. The ideal laundry load should contain as many articles as possible. However, stuffing your washer isn’t efficient either. There should be enough room for movement.

Consider installing a clothesline to cut dryer costs. Don’t stuff your dryer. While the heat required to dry clothes is costly there should be room for movement. If not, the hot air won’t be able to blow clothes dry. You may then have to run it twice. That is quite inefficient.​Don’t automatically throw an article in the wash if you’ve used it once. Consider whether it needs washing.